Working in Mixed Network Environments

It is not uncommon to have a network that is not completely homogenous. For example, a Windows 2000 Server network may still have users in a particular department who need to access file or print resources on a NetWare server. Perhaps some users on a NetWare or Windows 2000 Server network are using Macintosh computers to run desktop publishing software but still need to access network resources just like any other network user.

Although in the early days of networking it almost seemed that the different network operating systems made it a point to be as incompatible as possible, platform interactivity has become the rule rather than the exception. It is now fairly common for an NOS to not only support a variety of client operating systems but also provide the ability for different network operating systems to talk to each other on the network.